First breast milk bank in Vietnam opens

NDO—A pilot breast milk bank, the first of its kind in Vietnam, officially opened at the Maternity and Paediatric Hospital in the central city of Da Nang on February 17.

The bank aims to provide breast milk to infants for whom breast milk is not available, as well as to promote the raising of children with breast milk.

Deputy Director of Maternal Health and Children TranDang Khoa affirmed that breastfeeding is an important measure to enhance children’s health.

If the pilot project succeeds, the model will be replicated in other cities and provinces, he added.

According to Director of the Da Nang Health Department Ngo Thi Kim Yen, this first breast milk bank is an important step in improving healthcare services for newborns not only in the city but also across the central region and Central Highlands

Tran Thi Hoang, vice director of the Maternity and Paediatric Hospital in Da Nang, said about 15,000 children were born at the hospital each year, of whom about 3,000 did not have access to breast milk due to premature birth, abandonment, disease or being placed in isolation with mothers who have infectious diseases, she said.

The hospital will follow strict regulations for collecting breast milk, such as in the selection and screening of milk donors, milking hygiene and temperature-controlled milk processing, as well as pasteurisation, bacteriological examination and temperature-controlled transport.

The bank also aims to promote the raising of children with breast milk. The presence of the bank will help the community understand that breast milk is an important and precious asset that they should appreciate and save for their children, she added.